Memorable Travel Experience(s)

Amtrak’s Empire Builder from Chicago’s Union Station to Whitefish, Montana; the Flamingo Festival in Southwest Harbor, Maine; Civil Rights history in Alabama; and redwood trees of California. On the train ride, I was mesmerized by the literal “amber waves of grain” and ironically watched Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. For a family reunion in Maine, staying a convenient walk from Beal’s Lobster Pound; delighting in the absolute randomness of Harbor House’s Flamingo Festival’s parade. During spring break in Alabama, reflecting on our country’s struggle for racial reconciliation at Montgomery’s Legacy Museum, Memorial, and Sculpture Park, as well as Birmingham’s Kelly Ingram Park and 16th Street Baptist Church. In California, with my Love & Libations sisterhood, we packed a champagne picnic for Armstrong State Natural Reserve, marveling at majestic redwoods - changing the air around them, and committing to slow and meditative long term growth.